Health Matters

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Journaling can make you happier. Here’s how to make it a habit

By Angela Haupt

Health and Wellness Editor

Once every few months, I buy myself a fancy new journal, convinced that this time I'll actually write in it. Spoiler alert: They're all still empty.

It's not that my motivations aren't strong: Journaling regularly can relieve stress and anxiety, improve depression symptoms, enhance memory retention, and boost optimism. But clearly, consistency can be challenging. So I asked a handful of experts for their best tips on how to actually stick to a journaling routine. Here are three of the strategies I'm most excited to try:

Create achievable goals. Many of us thrive when we have specific benchmarks to meet. Aim to write a certain number of words or pages per day, or for a specific amount of time. It doesn't have to be long—just a couple minutes will do the trick.
Lean on prompts. There are lots of prompts online and in books that can help you figure out how to fill all those blank pages. Some people like the “rose, bud, thorn” approach, which means logging a rose (something positive that happened), a bud (something you’re looking forward to), and a thorn (something bothering you or that you need help with) each day.
Enlist support. Find a friend or family member who can help hold you accountable, or join an online community with whom you can share your progress. You don't have to broadcast your most private thoughts to this person; an expert I talked to suggested sharing just one thing.

What else to read

Mental Illness May Speed Up the Aging Process, Study Finds

By Jeffrey Kluger

A new study finds that people with psychiatric conditions are physically older than their chronological age.

The Physical Toll Systemic Injustice Takes On the Body

By Arline T. Geronimus

Chronic stress from oppression can literally kill us—a condition known as “weathering."

Do Gummy Vitamins Work? Here's What Experts Say

By Markham Heid

They have far more sugar than traditional vitamins. (Originally published in 2019.)

Coping With the Side Effects of Kidney-Cancer Treatment

By Markham Heid

Many patients experience hypertension, diarrhea, and loss of kidney function.

Why Does My Eye Twitch?

By Markham Heid

Your eye spasms, decoded. (Originally published in 2015.)

ONE LAST READ

The gut risks of probiotics

Probiotics are often thought to be health boons, supposedly populating your gut with a wide range of beneficial bacteria.

But new studies now cast doubt on that belief, suggesting that probiotics may overload your system with just a handful of bacteria and crowd out other important strains, reports Anahad O'Connor for the Washington Post. The recommendation: get your gut bacteria from probiotic-rich foods, not supplements.

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Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and Jeffrey Kluger, and edited by Mandy Oaklander.

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